The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-03-31
A DAY IN SING SING.
Something About It's Regulations
\ and It's Inmates.
The Storehouse for acknowledgements
Observation-Disclosures Tour of
the Shops-Jaehne, McQuade,
ExD DeLeon, Ward, Etc.

On one of those recent midwinter
days of sunshine, when the brightness
of all outdoors seemed enough to dead.
en- by contrast even the most cheerful
of interiors, small party of artists and
newspaper men from the city paid 8
visit of inspection to the State prison al
Sing Sing. Distant only an hours ride
by rail from New York, occupying one
of the faireSt sites on the Hudson s
shores, and directly in the path OF
travel, the great penal establishment,
with its grim walls, high-perched sentry
boxes and smoking chimneys, is a con-
spicious landmark to the thousands of
people who pass it daily On boat or
train. Public interest in the place is
augmented at the present time by the
actual or prospective residence there of
a group of distinguished malefactors,
whose doings and trials have been, in
almost National sense, celebrated
cases Almost everybody would like to
''dO" the prison; but the privilege of
making the complete tour is seldom
granted to strangers. and never to
ladies.
Dismounting from the prison-coach
at the warden's Office, which fronts the
steep hill to the eastward. we tried to
imagine ourselves batch of newly
arrived convicts, coming to serve out
our terms of, say, ten or fifteen years
each. But this was preposterous, in
the face of the courteous greeting
which we Immediately received from
the governor of the domain. Warden
Brush is portly gentleman, who looks
very much like Hon. James G. Blaine,
though less frosty as to hair and beard.
He is from Poughkeepsie. Ten years
experience of convicts within the prison
and tiresome visitors from without has
neither hardened his heart nor rough
ened his manner.
We had scarcely entered the door,
when we saw two or three boyish-look-
ing convicts, evidently errand-runners,
clad in the rough uniform of holden
gray, with narrowish though pro-
nounced black stripes Passing into
the prison Office proper, we observed
that the register indicated a convict
population of !, 5S8. The vast majority of
these are young men, and Warden
Brush afterward informed us that the
average age is about twenty-seven
years. Nominally, all must be over
nineteen years of age; but boys of six
teen and seventeen are occasionally
passed off as older by their parents, so
that they may get year or two at
Sing Sing in preference to five years at
the House of Refuge.
Near this Office is the room where
the prisoners are permitted to receive
the visits of their families and friends,
once in two months. This is the prison
headquarters of State Detective Jack
son. whose keen eyes keep a lookout
out for contraband articles, and also
see that no eX-convict passes those
guarded doors as a visitor. In an adj
joining corridor were piled a number
of open boxes and baskets, containing
cakes, pies, canned fruits, oranges,
sugar and other dainties, together with
tiny rug or two, and some knick-
nacks for adjoining the walls of cells.
Another comfort which is permitted
and recommended, is a narrow hair
mattress, to replace the ordinary bag
of straw on which the prisoners sleep.
Amy article of food which does not re-
quire further preparation may be re-
ceived; but cigars and spirituous liquors
are strictly prohibited.
1--WE used to be puzzled" said
Warden Brush, lat occasionally finding
a prisoner in a state of exhilaration
which the ordinary beverages, coffee
and water, could not have produced.
1t occurred to sound these tin cans of
fruit, and we discovered that in MANY
cases the cover had been scientifically
raised, and pint or so of good whisky
or brandy substituted for the natural
juice. Now we prod every can to make
sure that the contents are unsophisti-
cated.'